Being more keyboardy is good. The mouse is good, too. But if you can do more things with the keyboard, those things will usually happen faster and with less mucking around. Also, it is very, very cool to sit there and go “tap tap tap” and have stuff happen on the screen without the mouse. Like in that Star Trek where Scott was forced to use a Mac Classic to design Invisible Aluminum. First he tried to use the mouse as a microphone to communicate with the computer. When that didn’t work, he just went after the keyboard and tap-tap-tap had a design for Invisible Aluminum ready to go. To put whales in.Since most of your time is spent using a web browser, and the main web browser you use is Firefox, I thought I’d pass on a few keyboardy shortcuts. Keep in mind, however, that many keyboard commands are used in common system wide for many different programs, like the first three I’ll mention … they work, in one way or another, in all programs that also use a mouse. Most of the time.Cut, Copy Paste I mention this first set because a remarkably large number of people don’t know these. These are all the same in Linux, Mac and most other operating systems. X, C and V are all right next to each other, so this is easy to remember:Ctrl x, Ctrl c, Ctrl vDelete (but copy the deleted onto the clipboard) the selected text (or whatever), copy onto the clipboard (without deleting) the selected text, or paste the selected text.See More Real EstateThe more tool bars, shortcuts and buttons and stuff that you have at the top of your browser the better, for some people. But what with tabs, the computer system’s menue on the top, bottom, or both of the screen, etc., there is not much room left for browsing. This is especially annoying if you are using a text box to compose something (like a blog post) and can’t see the entire text box in the window.You can switch to “full screen” browsing mode, which is not really full screen but does eliminate, temporarily, many of the toolbars and stuff, by hitting this key:F-11That works in Linux, not on a Mac. It does work on other operating systems, try it to see if it works on yours. Hit F11 again to go back to the cluttered look and feel.Text SizeMost web sites are ‘designed’ by children with excellent eyesight or no sense of design. Therefore they are unreadable. If you can’t read the text, type:Ctrl-[plus] or Ctrl-[minux]to make the type face bigger or smaller.New TabIn case you didn’t know it already,Ctrl-TGets you a new, blank tabGot to the URL boxCtrl-Lbrings you to the URL box where you can start typing an address.Find and Find AgainCtrl-f and Ctrl-g or F3Ctrl F for Find gets you a find box and puts your curser there. Then type something and hit enter. Ctrl-g is to find the same thing aGain. F3 also finds again.And finally, one I’ve posted recently but it is so good it should be mentioned again:To Stop the stupid flashing ad (if the stupid flashing ad is a moving GIF file): Hit the Escape Key!Advanced Users: Keyword Search in FirefoxHere.
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Hmmm, I did not know Ctrl-L. Very useful. Thanks.
Sorry. Just don’t get the whole, “use Firefox,” thing when Opera is around.
Opera is not open source.
Ctrl-K to go to the search box (Google by default).
After you get to the address box with Ctrl+L (thanks I didn’t know that one) use one of these combinations to save on typing.Ctrl+Enter completes entry to a .com URL (linux then Ctrl+Enter gives http://www.linux.com/)Shift+Enter completes entry to a .net URLCtrl+Shift+Enter completes entry to a .org URL
Another prob with Opera is that when I open it it restores the pages from my last session. That’s not always a good thing when I move from my private place to surf to public places to surf.There is an embarrassing story to go along with that related to testing the graphics on my daughter’s computer, but I’d rather not go into that. Suffice it to say that I uninstalled Opera to cover my tracks. They can take the blame when I won’t.
I think ability to touch type is much less common now than it was say 50 years ago. Do you think this is the case?
I think it may be more due to that 50 years ago, a larger proportion of people who typed did so professionally and so were more likely to be able to touch type. These days, with anybody able to use a computer, the number of touchtypists may have actually risen, but the proportion of those who do compared to those who don’t has fallen.
Who doesn’t touch type?
I’m afraid your Crazy Trekkies Who Know Too Many Details membership has been revoked pending an adequate explanation of your failure to remember that the substance Scotty was making was called Transparent Aluminum. In the meantime you will be issued membership in the People Who Once Watched Some Star Trek And Kind Of Remember It club.Also, is there a key combination for “find previous”? It would be super useful.
Guilty as charged.Ctrl-F [searchtext] and if successful then Alt-P
Alt-D is a more direct route to the URL box than Ctrl-L. Give it a shot.
Don’t forget Ctrl-P to print! I think most of these are old WordPerfect commands that migrated over.
Love the CTRL-T for a new tab. Outstanding.Is there a shortcut to close the current tab?
They now call it “keyboarding” but they don’t rigorously teach the asdf-jkl; default hand position that I am able to use to type somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 words a minute or more, without ever needing to look at the keyboard. It’s not as necessary as it used to be, but it sure is handy if you can do it.
another useful one isCtrl-Tabif you are a firefox user (and i think it might work on other browers) this will switch between tabs the way alt-tab scrolls between programs
Find previous is Shift-Ctrl-G. (Shift-Cmd-G on mac)
Ctl – w closes the current tab.and, if you close a tab and want it back, what do you do????Try ctl/shift – t
ALT-LeftArrow moves you “back” to a web page and ALT-RightArrow move you “forward” to a web page.
Ctrl+Shift+Tab to navigate to the tab directly to the left (Ctrl+Tab takes you right).
If you’re not allergic to two-stroke habits, Ctrl-L TAB will take you to the search box very quickly. Another one I’m fond of when switching back and forth between documents is Ctrl-Insert, which will take the last thing you cut/copied and paste it to whatever dialog box currently has the cursor.A not unusual workflow when reviewing other documents is to highlite and copy a URL, then Alt-Tab (browser), Ctrl-L (location), Ctrl-Insert (paste), Enter.
Actually, Macs use the command or Apple key, not Ctrl. Ctrl provides a world of other goodies in Mac-land, but these shortcuts are all command key shortcuts:Cmnd-T, Cmnd-X, Cmnd-P, etc.
For Mac desktop comps, F6 also moves your cursor to the address bar and highlights the existing text, which allows you to begin typing w/out the use of the mouse.(same thing at ctrl-l).
F6 does the same in Linux.And, if you hit Alt F4 in Linux the window you are focused on clos……
Ctrl-f is fine for opening the search window, but why in the heck isn’t there a shortcut for CLOSING it!?!?!? (pet peeve)
Personally, I just use “/” (that is, the slash) for searching within the page.It brings up a little “quick find” box. Then F3 if you want to find other instances.
@ BobNThat’s another benefit of using the slash to search. The box it brings up closes itself after a few seconds.
don’t forget text selection ones (Ctrl-A selects all, ctrl-shift-arrow can select entire words)and, for those of us who still prefer windows to tabs, alt-tab, alt-escape, and alt-f4 (to switch between, cycle through, or close them)Despite the possible embarrassment, one really good benefit to Opera’s (and now FF’s) ability to save sessions was that it made ongoing research a breeze. Can’t count the number of times I’ve followed multiple wiki threads, run out of energy, and easily popped them back up the next day.
Some more easy/neat things:1. Simply hitting the “backspace” (or “delete” above the “return” key on Macs) takes you back a page in Firefox.2. Your “home” and “end” keys take you to the top and bottom of your current webpage. Really handy if you’re reading long articles.3. The screen capture shortcut for Mac is: shift+apple+3.One more thing: Mac users can figure out most keyboard shortcuts because Mac has been nice enough to display the key commands for most actions. Next time you want to do most anything you would normally do by using your mouse,(for instance: going up to the top toolbar and selecting File->New Window) look to the right and you’ll see the keyboard shortcut for it (command-N). That’s how I learned to be pretty keyboard efficient.It might be helpful for Mac users to go here:http://www.cnet.com.au/desktops/pcs/0,239029439,339289468,00.htmwhich provides a guide to what symbols correspond to what keys.Hope that helps!
@ unicowThank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!One pet peeve down, 347 to go…
Also if you’re savvy you can download programs from Cnet (trial or small fee) that let you customize keystrokes. For ppl that do repetitive keystrokes a lot (data entry, gamers) these can multiply your productivity. I recommend HotKeyboard pro for about $30.
BobN:alt-f4 in explorer =)
F6 also takes you to the address bar in Windows. It works in IE7 too. Ctrl+W closes a tab and Ctrl+Shift+T reopens tabs that have been closed (really convenient if you accidentally close the wrong one, but doesn’t work in IE7).
I really like the ctl + shift + alt + crossyourtoes + scratchyourleftearwithtyourrighthand + pickyournose + F11 command. Unfortunately, I don’t remember what it does, but if I did I’m sure it would be pretty cool.
Ctl + Tab to cycle through applications (or windows on a PC)… super helpful
Why bother with Ctrl-F when you can just enable the “start searching when I start typing” option?
Thanks for the shortcuts, some I knew, some forgotten.I like alt-left arrow, which takes you to the previous page.
Msher, don’t get too dependent on Ctrl-Tab. It changes in Word, adding a tab within a table cell, as opposed to Tab, which moves to the next cell.As long as we’re talking about pet peeves, I’ll also add that what Microsoft has done to keyboard shortcuts in porting Office to Mac (i.e., taking most of them out) is nigh unto criminal. I touch type my shortcuts too, so I’m constantly having to go back and fix something manually that should have already been done as I typed.
Ctrl-P is from WordStar, a word processing program from the late 70’s-early 80’s. The other programs for word processing that were available at the time were TeX and LaTex which were programmed in a similar manner to HTML.
> Google shellI love it. And it’s going to make using Google at work far more, er, subtle.Now if someone would implement the whole WordStar cursor diamond, in Firefox I could bring out my old IBM-AT keyboard, the one with the Ctrl key where God intended it to be, just left of the A key, and forget the damned mouse almost all the time.
I’m sorry, the answer we were looking for was “install Adblock Plus”.
Closing the current tab within firefox is done by CTRL-F4.
firefox rules my roost because of the add ons likeadblock plusfilterset g updater (a list for adblock plus)noscript (stop javascript mischief and allow it selectivelyand customize google, i love the options of remove ads, switch to https or secure, stream search results and rewrite image link to point directly to imageother add ons i loverepaginationremove it permanentlybugmenotgoogle text to phoneavailable herehttp://www.google.com/tools/firefox/sendtophone/all addons are herehttps://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/
Epistatis: I don’t use adblock because I think it is too much trouble, and I want to see the ads on my own blog (basic blogging ethics). Otherwise, I actually visit very few commercial sites. So, since the Esc key is already installed, this is good.
> Ctrl-f is fine for opening the search window, but why in the > heck isn’t there a shortcut for CLOSING it!?!?!? (pet peeve)BobN, you can close the search window by hitting Esc, but as someone already said, / is good to know also.
Another prob with Opera is that when I open it it restores the pages from my last session. That’s not always a good thing when I move from my private place to surf to public places to surf.Posted by: Mike Haubrich, FCD | June 9, 2008 7:00 PMMike, that’s an option, not a mandate. You can turn that off in the preferences with a simple click of the mouse.
Good to know about F11 and Ctrl-L. I’ve always been a big fan and user of keyboard macros, but I clearly have a few more handy ones to learn…
I tried Ctrl-[plus] or Ctrl-[minux], and it only scrolls the page up and down for me (I used Firefox on a Windows computer). (But the other ones work, and are really useful)